Winch devices are often used to tie down loads for transportation. A winch device such as that described in the present inventor's Canadian patent no. 1,319,674 uses a worm gear drive. The advantage of this type of winch over commonly used ratchet systems is that it allows the user to set the tension more precisely compared with other commonly used ratchet systems that can only be set at broad intervals where the pawl locks into the ratchet wheel. However, it is not suitable for use with a chain.